Although there is no magic formula to losing weight, a healthy diet and regular exercise will have your metabolism going in the right direction. Increasing metabolism takes time and effort. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic warn that products claiming to increase the metabolism aren't effective, and they may even have undesirable side effects. Following are some ways that will help boost your metabolism.
Increase Exercise
Increase your workouts. According to Dr. Louis Aronne, an obesity specialist quoted in "Redbook" magazine, twice a week interval training can help people lose twice as much weight as people who do regular cardiovascular workouts. Instead of walking steadily for half an hour, add a minute of jogging for every five minutes. Since muscles help speed up metabolism, work with weights several times a week.
Eat Smaller Meals More Often
Instead of consuming all your calories in three meals per day, eat five smaller meals with less time in between. This keeps the body burning fuel more efficiently throughout the day. Don't cut calories too much, or your body go into starvation mode.
Eat Breakfast
The metabolism decreases during sleep, according to Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., a nutrition professor at Penn State University. It picks back up as soon as you eat. She recommends starting out with a healthy 300- to 400-calorie meal. A high fiber, low- fat breakfast with protein and fruit is ideal for getting the metabolism going in the morning.
Eat Enough Protein
Getting enough protein can help you burn another 150 to 200 calories per day, according to Jeff Hampl, Ph.D, R.D, with the American Dietetic Association. The amino acids in protein are more difficult to break down, so you burn additional calories digesting them.
Healthy Drinks
Watch what you drink. Avoid alcohol. Not only does it slow down the metabolism, people typically wind up eating more calories with the next meal. Low-fat dairy, on the other hand, has calcium that increases the metabolism, according to Michael Zemel, Ph.D, with the University of Tennessee Nutrition Institute.
Add Spice
Hot peppers temporarily increase the metabolic rate, according to a study at Laval Unversity. Capsaicin in hot peppers stimulates the body to release adrenaline and other stress hormones, which in turn helps burn calories.
Get Plenty of Sleep
People who sleep less than four hours per night don't process carbohydrates as well as those who sleep longer, according to a study at the University of Chicago, as stated in an online "Redbook" magazine article. The ideal amount of sleep for most adults is seven to eight hours each night.
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